GM Invests $449 Million in Detroit for Next-Generation Volt Production
General Motors has announced that it will be making an investment of $449 million into the city it calls home in order to fund next-generation Volt production. The endowment will benefit both the Detroit-Hamtramck and Brownstone Battery Assembly plants, bolstering the automaker’s commitment to rebuilding the very city that was so vital in building it.
$384 million will benefit Detroit-Hamtramck, who will be tasked with building the next-generation Volt in addition to its normal production schedule, which includes the Chevy Impala and Malibu, Cadillac ELR, and Opel Ampera. General Motors has donated a total in excess of $1 billion to Detroit-Hamtramck over the past five years. Additionally, Forbes reports that GM North America manufacturing VP, Gerald Johnson, insinuated to some degree that additional models would be produced at the plant in the future.
The other $65 million will go to Brownstone Battery Assembly, where GM engineers will manufacture the lithium-ion batteries that will power the next-generation Volt. According to Auto Blog Green, the next-gen Volt may well be a 2016 model and should boast an “evolutionary styling change” and a potential 20 percent increase in electric range.
Whether we hear anything about the 2015/2016 Chevy Volt at this week’s New York Auto Show remains to be seen. If not, expect to hear more on the next-generation Volt production sometime this year.
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